PM invites Naveen to discuss POSCO project

Bhubaneswar, Apr 11: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold a periodical review of the progress made in the mega steel plant proposed by the South Korea Steel major POSCO in Orissa on April 19.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Steel and Mines Minister Padmanav Behera, Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy and other senior officials of concerned departments in the state are likely to brief the Prime Minister about the POSCO project, considered to be the largest FDI in the country.

Official sources here said the Chief Minister and his team would apprise the Prime Minister about the progress in land acquisition, resistance from the displaced people and implementation of the rehabilitation and resettlement measures to be taken by the state government in this regard.

POSCO had signed an MoU with the state government on June 22,2005 for setting up of a 12 million tonne mega steel plant near Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district at an estimated cost of Rs 51,000 crores.

But the company is yet to undertake the socio-economic survey and construction work due to a strong resistance by the local people of the area who have put up barricades preventing the government officials and POSCO officials to enter into their area.

Steel and Mines Minister Padmanav Behera told newsmen here that the POSCO project required nearly 4000 acres of land in the area of which 3,500 acres belonged to the government land but encroached by the local people spread over three Gram Panchayats. Mr Behera said as per the new Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of the state government,those encroached the government land and cultivating betel vines would be suitably rehabilitated and compensated to sustain their livelihood.

He said even the workers engaged in the betel vine in the area would also be compensated and provided livelihood support.

The state government,he said had already acquired nearly 1200 acres of land in the project area which would be handed over to POSCO.It was however, facing problem with the acquisition of 500 acres of private land held by the villagers.

On the deployment of heavy police force in the area,the Minister had clarified that the forces were mobilised to maintain law and order to conduct the panchayat election in the area as per the direction of the State Election Commission.

To a question Mr.Behera said the state government would never use force to acquire land for the project adding that the district administration was in constant touch with the local people and trying to resolve the issue through mutual discussion.

UNI